ST. Troy Stecher Jersey . LOUIS -- Michael Sam got an extended look at defensive end in the St. Louis Rams preseason opener. Coach Jeff Fisher said thats where the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL will have his best shot at making the team. "Michael is a defensive end, OK? He plays defensive end with his hand down," Fisher said after a 26-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Friday night. "Theres a lot of talk with Mike being a tweener, maybe a standup pass rusher. Its rare to find a defensive end playing special teams in the NFL." Sam said his introduction to the NFL was "awesome," recalling thinking during the national anthem, "Wow, this is the big stage." But not too big. Sam, who was credited with one tackle and one quarterback hit, emerged with confidence. "You know, I can play in this league," Sam said. "I can play in this league." Sam was a seventh-round draft pick and hes attempting to launch his pro career a two-hour drive from where he starred on a 12-win Missouri team that played in the SEC title game last season. Sam shed weight to 257 pounds coming into training camp so hed be a viable special teams option on a team that already has a strong pass rush. Mark Ingram had eight carries for 83 yards and a 22-yard touchdown in the first half. "We wanted to come out here and start fast," Ingram said. "The line was just physical up front, got a lot of movement off the ball and created a lot of seams and holes for us to run through." Luke McCown started in place of Brees, limited by a left oblique injury for a week. First-round pick Brandin Cooks caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from third-stringer Ryan Griffin in the third quarter and had five receptions for 55 yards. "I know what Im coming into," Cooks said. "Im coming in with a great group of receivers. Ive got to come in and find my spot." Coach Sean Payton was non-committal about Brees chances of playing next Friday at home against the Titans. "Well be smart with his recovery. He certainly is smart enough, too," Payton said. "Look, it is an area that is affected every time that you throw, so its important that it is 100 per cent." Bradford was held out as a precaution coming off knee surgery. Shaun Hill got the start and threw two touchdown passes in the first half. Greg Zuerlein was barely wide left on a 59-yard field goal attempt on the final play after missing a 46-yard attempt with just under six minutes remaining. The Rams started both of their first-round picks, offensive lineman Greg Robinson and defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Robinson, the second overall pick of the draft, started at left guard and also played left tackle. Attendance was announced at 54,850, about 12,000 shy of capacity at the Edward Jones Dome. The stadium appeared to be at less than half capacity not long after the opening kickoff and dwindled to perhaps one-third by the finish for the matchup between the Rams, whove had consecutive seven-win seasons under Fisher, and the 11-win Saints. Chris Long, the longtime starter at left end for St. Louis, intercepted McCown on the opening series to set up Cory Harkeys 16-yard touchdown catch. Sam began playing on the next series and made two nice plays in the second quarter, pressuring Griffin into an incompletion and getting a tackle. "Hes unpolished like a lot of rookies," Long said of Sam. "But he pleasantly surprised you when he went out in a game situation and played pretty well." Saints kicker Shayne Graham botched an extra-point kick from the longer distance being used the first two weeks of the preseason, hooking it off the left crossbar in the second quarter. NOTES: Rams TE Mason Brodine fractured his left ankle and is out for the season. ... Saints S Jairus Byrd, recovering from back surgery, did not play. Byrd attended high school in suburban Clayton when his father, Gill Byrd, was an assistant coach with the Rams. ... Saints RB Pierre Thomas did not play because of an undisclosed injury. ... Both teams hit triple digits in penalties, the Saints whistled 10 times for 104 yards and the Rams whistled 14 times for 118 yards. Henrik Sedin Jersey . Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years. Bach, the longtime favourite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping the presidency in European hands. Ben Hutton Jersey . CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team. http://www.thecanuckshockeystore.com/Canucks-Markus-Granlund-Adidas-Jersey/ .DeMarco Murray got his 20th carry late in the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, not long after Dez Bryant made his final catch of the day.Sure enough, a 44-17 win over Washington didnt change Dallas post-season position.ST. LOUIS -- Tim Hudson still refuses to take credit for his quick start to the season. "There comes a lot of luck with it," he said. "Im just throwing the ball and missing (bat) barrels." The San Francisco right-hander threw seven shutout innings and Joaquin Arias keyed a four-run first inning with a two-run single to lead the Giants to an 8-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The Giants have won five of six and have the best record in the NL at 37-20. St. Louis has lost four of five. The Cardinals managed just four hits. Hudson (6-2) gave up three hits, struck out six, and walked two in improving to 4-4 against St. Louis. Hudsons previous win against the Cardinals came on July 19, 2007, as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He retired the last 11 batters he faced on Sunday. The 38-year-old has a 1.75 ERA, second in the NL, and has gone at least seven innings in nine of 11 starts. Hudson missed the final two months of last season with a fractured ankle, but has rebounded with one of the best starts of his 14-year career. Hudson took control early after his teammates gave him four early runs. "Great job," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "You go seven innings and no runs against this club, youre doing something." Catcher Buster Posey said Hudson simply keeps rolling along. "Nothing fancy, he just goes out there and pitches to contact, like he always does," Posey said. "Hes smart and he knows how to attack the hitters. Hudson said he was able to relax after the early run support. "I just went out there and tried to pound the strike zone," he said. "A starting pitcher always welcomes early runs. It makes our job a whole lot easier." Arias came through with a key hit. He got the start after Michael Morse fouled a ball off his left foot in batting practice. In his second start in the past 24 games, Arias went 3 for 4 with three RBIs. He broke out of a 0-for-14 skid with a bases-loaded single in the first. "He stays ready and hes got a lot of poise," BBochy said. Loui Eriksson Jersey. "He really needed a game like this." Morse is expected back in the lineup on Tuesday when the Giants play at Cincinnati, according to Bochy. Posey had three hits in returning to the lineup after missing three games with tightness in his lower back. "I feel pretty good," Posey said. "Hopefully, it is something I can manage." Lance Lynn (6-3) gave up seven runs, four earned, and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings after posting his first career shutout on Tuesday against the York Yankees. "One of those days where that will happen," Lynn said. "A tough one." Angel Pagan, Hunter Pence and Posey singled to start the four-run first. Poseys RBI hit came on Lynns 10th pitch. Gregor Blanco reached on an error by Kolten Wong and Pence scored on a groundout by Brandon Crawford. Brandon Hicks walked to set the stage for Arias bases-loaded single. The error, on a potential double play ball, led to three unearned runs. "If an out is made there," Lynn said. "We are out of the inning with one run." Arias pushed the lead to 5-0 with a run-scoring single in the third. Crawford added an RBI double in the fourth. Blanco brought in the final run with a triple in the sixth. "Youre just going to have those days," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "We just couldnt get anything going." St. Louis third baseman Matt Carpenter extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single. It is the longest current streak in the NL. Notes: Former University of Missouri mens basketball coach Norm Stewart threw out the first pitch. ... The Giants finished May with an NL-best 19-9 record. ... St. Louis OF Matt Holliday walked in the third inning and has reached safely in all 28 home games. ... St. Louis rookie OF Oscar Taveras singled in the second and has hit safely in both of his starts. ... San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the second inning. Cheap Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '